In fond memory of the Google Nexus

Like a child on Christmas Eve, we're currently giddy with excitement about the launch of two new Nexus devices.

Google is expected to unveil the Nexus 5's replacement - unsurprisingly called the Nexus 6 - sometime in the next week or so, while the Nexus 9 tablet may even launch as early as today.

And the reason why we're so excited about them is that Google's own devices - from the original Nexus One back in 2010 right up to the super-fast and super-cheap Nexus 5 - have a habit of being rather special. Which makes it all the more upsetting that they may well be the final Nexuses (or should that be Nexii?) ever, with Google's Android Silver likely to see them off into obsolescence.

So, in memory of Google’s Android army, we take a walk down memory lane to look back at some key milestones in the Nexus range.

Nexus One (2010)

Made by HTC and released with Android 2.1 Eclair, the original Google phone lived long enough to see Android 2.3 Gingerbread before it was killed off when it couldn’t handle the 2D acceleration engine that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich delivered.

The 3.7in phone packed a 1GHz Qualcomm Scorpion CPU, screen resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and a 1400mAh battery. Low specs by today’s standards, but advanced for its time.

Fondly remembered for: It was the first and last Nexus device to come with an SD card slot thanks to its paltry internal storage offering of only 512MB. And who can forget that trackball?

Nexus S (2010)

The letter should give you a clue to its collaborator - Samsung. The display on the Nexus S was a smidge bigger than that on the One at four inches but featured the same resolution. It also came to its senses and packed 16GB worth of internal storage at the expense of an expansion slot.

Fondly remembered for: Its curved glass screen that replaced the old trackball. Also the first Android phone to feature near field communication (NFC) capabilities.

Galaxy Nexus (2011)

Google continued the relationship with Samsung, hence keeping the curved screen around. Its 4.65in display was a significant growth spurt. On the downside, its display resolution jump to a higher 720 x 1280 pixels was apparently more than its 1750 mAh battery could handle.

Fondly remembered for: The bad reviews that plagued it due to the bad battery life.